Kerala revenue minister E. Chandrasekharan. File photoRevenue minister E. Chandrasekharan is presiding over a department which is on the cusp of change. Amid controversies regarding the eviction of encroachers on government land, the department is in the final stages of forming a digital data bank that is expected to make landholding records transparent. The minister talks to Onmanorama on the journey so far and the road ahead.
How did the Revenue Department fare when the Left Democratic Front came to power a year ago?
We had a strange situation in which officers at the village level were totally disconnected from the people. The previous United Democratic Front government was only interested in disbursing government land in violation of all norms. The people were at the mercy of the officials. There was even an incident in which a man from Vellarada, Sam Kutty, burned up the village office in frustration. We entrusted special officers to investigate the incident and took suitable action.
Encroachment of land and unauthorized reclamation of wetland were rampant during the term of the UDF government. Anyone could legalize the land reclaimed before 2008 by paying only 25 percent of the land's fair value, according to section 3A of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act brought about by the UDF government to make reclamation of paddy fields legitimate. The LDF government amended the act. The cabinet sub-committee headed by A.K. Balan found that most of the decisions taken by the UDF government on its last leg were illegal. The UDF government distributed land to many caste-based organizations without abiding by laws. The LDF government reexamined all those decisions. The UDF government had not done anything to collect the dues from people who had leased government land. There was no resurvey after 2012. The distribution of land was illogical. Someone from Thiruvananthapuram was given land in Kasaragod. Many of the land allotted existed only on paper. Many plots were just rocky land not suitable for cultivation. This was the situation that faced the LDF when it came to power.
What were the changes you have brought about in the department?
The greatest achievement was to stop encroachment. We have taken back the government land from encroachers. We have served notices on leaseholders who have violated agreements. A special committee was formed under the principal secretary to collect the details of people who have violated lease agreements and to take suitable action. Special squads were formed under district collectors to stop encroachment of government land.
The government has filed about 300 cases related to the unauthorized reclamation of paddy fields. We restored a river near Aranmula which was filled in the name of a proposed airport. We withdrew an order that declared the adjoining areas as an industrial zone.
The creation of a data bank under the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act has been completed in 565 panchayats. The work will be completed in another 150 panchayats within a month. The rest of the panchayats are also working on the data bank. The government has made the rules clearer regarding the land which was filled before 2008 but left out of the data bank.
Land boards have been started in all taluks to distribute land among the poor. Land assignment committees have been formed in 11 districts. Land tribunals had so many cases pending before them. The government formed 29 special tribunals to reduce pendency. We took measures to distribute land to those who held forest land before 1977, provided they were approved by the Revenue Department, central government and the Supreme Court.
The government has distributed about 6,000 title deeds in Idukki district alone. As many as 19,000 title deeds were distributed across the state. A draft Land Grabbing (Prohibition) bill is in the works in the Law Department to prevent the encroachment of government land and the forced takeover of private land by organized gangs. The government has taken measures to speed up resurvey-related activities. The process was kicked off in Kasaragod.
The government took stern measures to prevent corruption. As many as 54 officials have been suspended. Legal proceedings have been initiated against 130 officials.
What are the plans for the next four years?
We will take urgent measures to complete digitization of records at the village level. Once the project is completed, land owners will be able to receive sketches of their plots after paying a fee online. Certificates proving income, caste and nativity are now valid only for six months. The government intends to increase income certificate's validity to one year and caste certificate to three years and nativity certificate for life to alleviate the problems faced by the people. The process has already started. We will launch a land literacy mission to create awareness among people about laws related to land.
What about the measures taken to fast-track the movement of files?
We have given instructions to the secretariat officers to speed up the movement of files. Special officers have been assigned in the district collectors to monitor the file movement.
